ELEANOR HALL: As if parts of Australia werent hot enough already ?CSIRO scientists are warning today that temperatures will soar even further, as global warming continues to cheap high heel shoes heat the continent.

In a study presented at an international climate change forum in Sydney today, the CSIRO warns of the serious dangers facing much of Australia in coming decades, unless we dramatically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

And as Anne Barker reports, the consequences of higher temperatures in Australia are likely to be dire.

ANNE BARKER: The long, hot summer that so many Australians enjoy will be even longer and hotter than ever, if the latest predictions are accurate.

The CSIRO forecasts within a few short decades, global warming will bring more heat waves and fewer cold snaps across most of the continent, and areas of inland Australia will face more than 100 days a year of 35 degree plus temperatures with lower rainfall.

To take just one example, Wilcannia in regional New South Wales, already has 59 days a year above 35. By 2030 the CSIRO says itll face 83 such days and by 2070, 136 days. Even Canberra, which has about five days a year now above 35, could experience 13 days a year of extreme heat.

KEVIN HENNESSY: Over the last 50 years Australia has warmed by about 0.8 of a degree Celsius. Now, to most people that probably doesnt sound like much and in fact to cold places it probably sounds like very good news.

But in fact a small change in average temperature is associated with quite large changes in extreme temperatures and we then in fact experience increases in the number of hot days and hot nights and decreases in the number of cold days and frosty nights.

And what this report does is now look into the future and quantify some of the projected changes over the next 30 to 70 years.

ANNE BARKER: The hotter days, with longer droughts and stronger winds will mean a higher fire risk through much of Australia, a bigger drain on power supplies, and an increased mortality rate for people and animals who succumb to the extreme heat.

Kevin Hennessy says its regional and rural areas that will take the brunt of the impact.

KEVIN HENNESSY: Well, in regional Australia, of course, there are smaller communities that may be less adapted through installation of air conditioning for example.

Of course, regional areas are also dependent very much on agriculture, so I would suggest that these increases in temperature are likely to lead to greater demand for air conditioning and therefore greater energy demands, but on the flipside less demand for heating in winter ?because winters will become more pleasant ?and therefore less greenhouse gas emissions in winter.

ANNE BARKER: Could it be enough to make some towns uninhabitable, that temperatures will be so intolerable cheap high heel shoes people will be forced to move elsewhere?

KEVIN HENNESSY: The projections do suggest that some areas will become extremely hot with a very large number of days over 35 or 40 degrees Celsius. Whether they actually become uninhabitable is, I guess, a personal choice.

People can choose to adapt through improving not only their air conditioning, but also the building design of their houses and also improving the efficiency with which they use water, for example including rain water tanks and low flow shower roses, and maybe even water recycling areas. So thats very much a personal choice about whether you stay or leave.

ANNE BARKER: Its a scenario the CSIRO says is inevitable, with massive cost implications, unless Australia acts now to cut its greenhouse gas emissions ?something the international taskforce on climate change is discussing today in Sydney.

Kevin Hennessy says without fast action it could soon be too late.

KEVIN HENNESSY: Well, in a previous report we did for the New South Wales Government we indicated that if greenhouse gas emissions were reduced substantially there might be scope for stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, which would in turn slow the rate of global warming.

And so some of our best case scenarios, in our previous report looked at stabilizing at particular levels that might help us to avoid some of the higher rates of global warming and therefore some of the larger impacts. cheap high heel shoes